Sense and Sensibility

Key

FID

indirect

intro to FID or indirect

Chapter 34

Mrs. John Dashwood had so
much confidence in her husband's judgment, that she waited the very next day
both on Mrs. Jennings and her daughter; and her confidence was rewarded by
finding even the former, even the woman with whom her sisters were staying,
by no means unworthy her notice; and as for Lady Middleton,she found her one of the most
charming women in the world!

Lady Middleton was equally
pleased with Mrs. Dashwood. There was a kind of cold hearted selfishness on
both sides, which mutually attracted them; and they sympathised with each
other in an insipid propriety of demeanor, and a general want of
understanding.

The same manners, however,
which recommended Mrs. John Dashwood to the good opinion of Lady Middleton
did not suit the fancy of Mrs. Jennings, and to HER she appeared nothing
more than a little proud-looking woman of uncordial address, who met her
husband's sisters without any affection, and almost without having anything
to say to them; for of the quarter of an hour bestowed on Berkeley Street,
she sat at least seven minutes and a half in silence.

Elinor wanted very much to
know, though she did not chuse to ask, whether Edward was then in town; but
nothing would have induced Fanny voluntarily to mention his name before her,
till able to tell her that his marriage with Miss Morton was resolved on, or
till her husband's expectations on Colonel Brandon were answered; because
she believed them still so very much attached to each other, that they could
not be too sedulously divided in word and deed on every occasion. The
intelligence however, which SHE would not give, soon flowed from another
quarter. Lucy came very shortly to claim Elinor's compassion on being unable
to see Edward, though he had arrived in town with Mr. and Mrs.
Dashwood.He dared not come to
Bartlett's Buildings for fear of detection, and though their mutual
impatience to meet, was not to be told, they could do nothing at present but
write.

Edward assured them himself
of his being in town, within a very short time, by twice calling in Berkeley
Street. Twice was his card found on the table, when they returned from their
morning's engagements. Elinor was pleased that he had called; and still more
pleased that she had missed him.

The Dashwoods were so
prodigiously delighted with the Middletons, that, though not much in the
habit of giving anything, they determined to give them — a dinner; and
soon after their acquaintance began, invited them to dine in Harley Street,
where they had taken a very good house for three months. Their sisters and
Mrs. Jennings were invited likewise, and John Dashwood was careful to secure
Colonel Brandon, who, always glad to be where the Miss Dashwoods were,
received his eager civilities with some surprise, but much more pleasure.
They were to meet Mrs. Ferrars; but Elinor could not learn whether her sons
were to be of the party. The expectation of seeing HER, however, was enough
to make her interested in the engagement; for though she could now meet
Edward's mother without that strong anxiety which had once promised to
attend such an introduction, though she could now see her with perfect
indifference as to her opinion of herself, her desire of being in company
with Mrs. Ferrars, her curiosity to know what she was like, was as lively as
ever.

The interest with which she
thus anticipated the party, was soon afterwards increased, more powerfully
than pleasantly, by her hearing that the Miss Steeles were also to be at
it.

So well had they recommended
themselves to Lady Middleton, so agreeable had their assiduities made them
to her, that though Lucy was certainly not so elegant, and her sister not
even genteel, she was as ready as Sir John to ask them to spend a week or
two in Conduit Street; and it happened to be particularly convenient to the
Miss Steeles, as soon as the Dashwoods' invitation was known, that their
visit should begin a few days before the party took place.

Their claims to the notice
of Mrs. John Dashwood, as the nieces of the gentleman who for many years had
had the care of her brother, might not have done much, however, towards
procuring them seats at her table; but as Lady Middleton's guests they must
be welcome; and Lucy, who had long wanted to be personally known to the
family, to have a nearer view of their characters and her own difficulties,
and to have an opportunity of endeavouring to please them, had seldom been
happier in her life, than she was on receiving Mrs. John Dashwood's
card.

On Elinor its effect was
very different.She began immediately to
determine, thatEdward who lived with
his mother, must be asked as his mother was, to a party given by his sister;
and to see him for the first time, after all that passed, in the company of
Lucy! —she hardly knew how
she could bear it!

These apprehensions,
perhaps, were not founded entirely on reason, and certainly not at all on
truth. They were relieved however, not by her own recollection, but by the
good will of Lucy, who believed herself to be inflicting a severe
disappointment whenshe told her thatEdward certainly
would not be in Harley Street on Tuesday,and even hoped to be
carrying the pain still farther by persuading her thathe was kept away by
the extreme affection for herself, which he could not conceal when they were
together.

The important Tuesday came
that was to introduce the two young ladies to this formidable
mother-in-law.

"Pity me, dear Miss
Dashwood!" said Lucy, as they
walked up the stairs together — for the Middletons arrived so
directly after Mrs. Jennings, that they all followed the servant at the
same time —"There is nobody here
but you, that can feel for me. — I declare I can hardly stand.
Good gracious! — In a moment I shall see the person that all my
happiness depends on — that is to be my mother!" —

Elinor could have given her
immediate relief by suggesting the possibility of its being Miss Morton's
mother, rather than her own, whom they were about to behold; but instead of
doing that,she assured her,and with great
sincerity,thatshe did pity her
—to the utter amazement of
Lucy, who, though really uncomfortable herself, hoped at least to be an
object of irrepressible envy to Elinor.

Mrs. Ferrars was a little,
thin woman, upright, even to formality, in her figure, and serious, even to
sourness, in her aspect. Her complexion was sallow; and her features small,
without beauty, and naturally without expression; but a lucky contraction of
the brow had rescued her countenance from the disgrace of insipidity, by
giving it the strong characters of pride and ill nature. She was not a woman
of many words; for, unlike people in general, she proportioned them to the
number of her ideas; and of the few syllables that did escape her, not one
fell to the share of Miss Dashwood, whom she eyed with the spirited
determination of disliking her at all events.

Elinor could not NOW be made
unhappy by this behaviour. — A few months ago it would have hurt her
exceedingly; but it was not in Mrs. Ferrars' power to distress her by it
now; — and the difference of her manners to the Miss Steeles, a
difference which seemed purposely made to humble her more, only amused
her.She could not but smile to
seethe graciousness of
both mother and daughter towards the very person —for Lucy was particularly
distinguished —whom of all others,
had they known as much as she did, they would have been most anxious to
mortify;while she herself, who had
comparatively no power to wound them, sat pointedly slighted by both. But
while she smiled at a graciousness so misapplied, she could not reflect on
the mean-spirited folly from which it sprung, nor observe the studied
attentions with which the Miss Steeles courted its continuance, without
thoroughly despising them all four.

Lucy was all exultation on
being so honorably distinguished; and Miss Steele wanted only to be teazed
about Dr. Davies to be perfectly happy.

The dinner was a grand one,
the servants were numerous, and every thing bespoke the Mistress's
inclination for show, and the Master's ability to support it. In spite of
the improvements and additions which were making to the Norland estate, and
in spite of its owner having once been within some thousand pounds of being
obliged to sell out at a loss, nothing gave any symptom of that indigence
which he had tried to infer from it; — no poverty of any kind, except
of conversation, appeared — but there, the deficiency was
considerable. John Dashwood had not much to say for himself that was worth
hearing, and his wife had still less. But there was no peculiar disgrace in
this; for it was very much the case with the chief of their visitors, who
almost all laboured under one or other of these disqualifications for being
agreeable — Want of sense, either natural or improved — want of
elegance — want of spirits — or want of temper.

When the ladies withdrew to
the drawing-room after dinner, this poverty was particularly evident, for
the gentlemen HAD supplied the discourse with some variety — the
variety of politics, inclosing land, and breaking horses — but then it
was all over; and one subject only engaged the ladies till coffee came in,
which was the comparative heights of Harry Dashwood, and Lady Middleton's
second son William, who were nearly of the same age.

Had both the children been
there, the affair might have been determined too easily by measuring them at
once; but as Harry only was present, it was all conjectural assertion on
both sides; and every body had a right to be equally positive in their
opinion, and to repeat it over and over again as often as they liked.

The parties stood
thus:

The two mothers, though each
really convinced that her own son was the tallest, politely decided in
favour of the other.

The two grandmothers, with
not less partiality, but more sincerity, were equally earnest in support of
their own descendant.

Lucy,who was hardly less anxious
to please one parent than the other,thoughtthe boys were both
remarkably tall for their age, and could not conceive that there could be
the smallest difference in the world between them;and Miss Steele, with yet
greater address gave it, as fast as she could, in favour of each.

Elinor, having once
delivered her opinion on William's side, by which she offended Mrs. Ferrars
and Fanny still more, did not see the necessity of enforcing it by any
farther assertion; and Marianne, when called on for hers, offended them all,
bydeclaring thatshe had no opinion to
give, as she had never thought about it.

Before her removing from
Norland, Elinor had painted a very pretty pair of screens for her
sister-in-law, which being now just mounted and brought home, ornamented her
present drawing room; and these screens, catching the eye of John Dashwood
on his following the other gentlemen into the room, were officiously handed
by him to Colonel Brandon for his admiration.

"These are done by my
eldest sister," said he;"and you, as a man of
taste, will, I dare say, be pleased with them. I do not know whether you
have ever happened to see any of her performances before, but she is in
general reckoned to draw extremely well."

The Colonel, though
disclaiming all pretensions to connoisseurship, warmly admired the screens,
as he would have done any thing painted by Miss Dashwood; and on the
curiosity of the others being of course excited, they were handed round for
general inspection. Mrs. Ferrars, not aware of their being Elinor's work,
particularly requested to look at them; and after they had received
gratifying testimony of Lady Middletons's approbation, Fanny presented them
to her mother,considerately informing
her,at the same time,thatthey were done by Miss
Dashwood.

"Hum" —said Mrs. Ferrars
—"very pretty,"
— and
without regarding them at all, returned them to her daughter.

"They are very pretty, ma'am
— an't they?" But then again, the dread of
having been too civil, too encouraging herself, probably came over her, for
she presently added,

"Do you not think they are
something in Miss Morton's style of painting, Ma'am? — She DOES paint
most delightfully! — How beautifully her last landscape is
done!"

"Beautifully indeed! But SHE
does every thing well."

Marianne could not bear
this. — She was already greatly displeased with Mrs. Ferrars; and such
ill-timed praise of another, at Elinor's expense, though she had not any
notion of what was principally meant by it, provoked her immediately to say
with warmth,

"This is admiration of a
very particular kind! — what is Miss Morton to us? — who knows,
or who cares, for her? — it is Elinor of whom WE think and
speak."

And so saying, she took the
screens out of her sister-in-law's hands, to admire them herself as they
ought to be admired.

Fanny looked very angry too,
and her husband was all in a fright at his sister's audacity. Elinor was
much more hurt by Marianne's warmth than she had been by what produced it;
but Colonel Brandon's eyes, as they were fixed on Marianne, declared that he
noticed only what was amiable in it, the affectionate heart which could not
bear to see a sister slighted in the smallest point.

Marianne's feelings did not
stop here. The cold insolence of Mrs. Ferrars's general behaviour to her
sister, seemed, to her, to foretell such difficulties and distresses to
Elinor, as her own wounded heart taught her to think of with horror; and
urged by a strong impulse of affectionate sensibility, she moved after a
moment, to her sister's chair, and putting one arm round her neck, and one
cheek close to hers, said in a low, but eager, voice,

She could say no more; her
spirits were quite overcome, and hiding her face on Elinor's shoulder, she
burst into tears. Every body's attention was called, and almost every body
was concerned. — Colonel Brandon rose up and went to them without
knowing what he did. — Mrs. Jennings, with a very intelligent"Ah! poor dear," immediately gave her her
salts; and Sir John felt so desperately enraged against the author of this
nervous distress, that he instantly changed his seat to one close by Lucy
Steele, and gave her, in a whisper, a brief account of the whole shocking
affair.

In a few minutes, however,
Marianne was recovered enough to put an end to the bustle, and sit down
among the rest; though her spirits retained the impression of what had
passed, the whole evening.

"Poor Marianne!" said her brother to
Colonel Brandon, in a low voice, as soon as he could secure his
attention, —"She has not such good
health as her sister, — she is very nervous, — she has not
Elinor's constitution; — and one must allow that there is
something very trying to a young woman who HAS BEEN a beauty in the loss
of her personal attractions. You would not think it perhaps, but
Marianne WAS remarkably handsome a few months ago; quite as handsome as
Elinor. — Now you see it is all gone."